In a principal aspect the present invention relates to a tool that is used to pull or remove windshield wiper arms from the driving shaft or stud of a wiper blade assembly.
Windshield wiper blades are typically mounted on a bracket which is attached to a reversibly rotating drive shaft or stud which reciprocates the bracket and attached blades back and forth over the windshield of a vehicle. The shaft or stud which drives the bracket and blade assembly typically projects outwardly from a vehicle body and comprises a tapered shaft with splines that fit into the bracket and blade assembly. The bracket and blade assembly is typically retained on the tapered spline and spline shaft by a bolt which attaches and mates with the threads on the end of the stud or shaft.
When repairing a vehicle, it is often necessary to remove the entire bracket and blade assembly from the drive shaft or stud. Removal of the bracket and blade assembly from the stud or shaft is often a difficult process because the bracket is wedged on the splined and tapered shaft. Using a lever bar to pry the bracket from the shaft or stud may not be desirable since the lever bar (e.g. Lisle Corporation wiper arm removal tool part 65750) may engage or impact on another part of the vehicle and cause damage. Pulling on the blade assembly is often not effective and is also quite difficult in most circumstances, particularly since the bracket and blade assembly may become corroded and thus fixed on the stud. Consequently, there has developed a need for providing a means to easily and effectively remove a windshield wiper bracket and wiper blade assembly from a stud or drive shaft of a windshield wiper assembly.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a puller device which includes a center rod or screw that is threadably and telescopically mounted in an outer, concentric screw. A yoke and a cone are mounted on the outer concentric screw. The cone may be translated axially on the outer screw and is shaped to engage pivotal arms mounted on the yoke. The pivotal, yoke arms each include a puller jaw at the extreme end thereof. The jaws are thus positioned on opposite sides of the center rod or screw. The center screw includes a handle which enables rotation of the center screw by grasping and turning the handle. The opposite end of the center screw includes a specially formed windshield wiper assembly stud engagement cup. The stud engagement cup includes a counterbore opening which is partially spherical in shape to avoid damaging the threads of a windshield wiper stud while simultaneously maintaining the cup centered on the stud so that as the center screw is turned, it will effectively elevate the gripping arms thereby withdrawing the bracket and blade assembly from the mounting stud or shaft.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved puller apparatus for removal of a windshield wiper arm from a mounting shaft or stud.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a puller which may be utilized for windshield wiper arms and may also be utilized in other environments, for example, as a battery terminal cable puller.
Another object of the invention is to provide a puller device which provides a mechanical advantage that enables ease of operation, which is economical and which is rugged and sturdy.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.